Page 10 of One Last Regret

Amelia rolls her eyes, then says in a mocking voice, “Oh, yes, thesoiree.You must come, Dahling.”

Josephine slaps her playfully on the arm. “Enough of that. The word party is vulgar. I’m not inviting her to drink beer and listen to pop music.”

“Oh, perish the thought!” Amelia cries in mock terror.

Gabriel chuckles at that, and Josephine rolls her eyes at both of them. The movement reminds me a lot of Amelia. I’m glad to see healthy banter between the three of them. I can’t express enough how important it is for children to be allowed to banter with their elders. It might seem trivial, but feeling safe to speak their minds—within reason—is critical for their self-confidence and esteem later in life.

“You two are having quite too much fun at my expense,” Josephine teases, hands on her hips. To me, she says, “You’ll meet Claude, my manager. He’s a sweetheart. His wife, Audrey is just darling as well.”

“Justdahling,” Amelia echoes.

“You two hush. Go on and play.”

Amelia grabs Gabriel’s hand and leads him from the room. Josephine watches them leave, an exasperated smile on her face. “She has all of her father’s energy,” she says. “All ofmyenergy, if I’m being honest,” she adds with a wink.

“You two clearly love each other very much,” I tell her.

“Yes, we really do,” she says. “It’s the most wonderful thing to be a mother. And a grandmother.”

Her smile fades after that. I wonder if she’s thinking of her estranged daughter or her deceased husband. Perhaps she is thinking of the twins who have lost their mother at such a young age. I don’t quite feel brave enough to ask, though. We are still only just acquainted.

She takes a breath and smiles again. “I haven’t told you about my club yet, have I?”

“No, but Amelia told me it’s the biggest jazz club in New Orleans.”

“It certainly was,” she agrees, “when Marcel was alive. It was his club more than mine. When he performed, he would draw crowds that rivaled the largest nightclubs in the city. Even in the age of electronic music and raves and LED lights, people would still cram every corner of the Midnight Melody to hear him play.”

There’s a touch of bitterness when she says that, though. I risk a soft probing statement. “You must miss him very much.”

She laughs, not quite a scoff. “Of course I do. I was married to him for thirty-three years. You don’t stay married to someone that long unless you’re in love with them or you need their money. And I never needed his money. I had my own.”

I notice that she sayshadher own money and recall Etienne’s argument the night before about the club facing ruin. I wonder how much of her money was wrapped up in Marcel’s career. It would certainly explain some of her bitterness.

“But we don’t get to choose when our loved ones leave us, do we?” she says.

My sister’s face crosses my mind. “No, we don’t.”

She takes another deep breath. “Well, he left us this beautiful home, the club, and a wonderful legacy. Not many can say that. We must go on for his sake.”

“And for your own,” I add. “It’s all right to consider your own needs.”

“All right, yes,” she agrees. “Simple, no. But I don’t wish to bore you with my complaints. I have some work to do to get ready for dinner, so I’ll leave you to recover from your day’s work. I look forward to seeing you tonight.”

She leaves, and I head to my room. I don’t really need to rest, but a strange disquiet comes over me at the thought of the dinner tonight. I can’t put my finger on it. There’s really no logical reason for me to feel worried about a party.Asoiree, dahling.

I do what I usually do when I’m worried, and I don’t know why. I call Sean.

He answers on the first ring. “Hello, my love. Tell me, what great mystery have you discovered this time?”

Heat climbs my cheeks. “I didn’t say I’ve found a mystery.”

“Ah, but you didn’t say you haven’t. So now I know you have. Mary, Mary, you are nothing if not predictable.”

“I love you too,” I say drily. “I’m so glad I called to talk.”

“Me too,” he says cheerily. “But don’t keep me in suspense. What juicy secrets have you discovered about the Lacroix family?”

“I don’t know.”

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